Spray Listerine to discourage insects

Q: To keep your picnic area free of insects, put Listerine in a spray bottle and spray the table and chairs where you are enjoying the outside. You will be bug-free for a few hours, if not days. It's inexpensive, and it doesn't hurt the environment, you or your pets.

A: Others have also recommended Listerine (or its house-brand counterpart) as a way of discouraging insect invaders. Perhaps the herbal ingredients (eucalyptol, menthol, thymol and methyl salicylate) that give amber Listerine its distinctive aroma also repel bugs.

Q:I developed rosacea a few years ago. Although I tried ignoring it, the condition got worse. A dermatologist gave me samples of Finacea. That helped a little, but there is a $60 co-pay for the prescription. Metrogel works a little, too, but again has a $60 co-pay. My wife told me to use Selsun Blue. I wash my hair with it and drag the suds down over my face. If I hadn't had an itchy scalp, I would not have bothered. I really thought this idea was bogus, so it's not a placebo effect. This is no extra effort, since I am in the shower anyway. Lo and behold, I got out of the habit of using Metrogel, because the rosacea absolutely disappeared. After months of nothing but Selsun Blue as treatment, it's completely gone.

A: Rosacea is an inflammation of the skin that causes redness and bumps on the nose, forehead and cheeks. Dermatologists think it may be due to an immune response to fungi, bacteria or some viruses. Selsun Blue has anti-fungal activity. That may explain why many readers report that this dandruff shampoo can be helpful.

Q: I lowered my bad cholesterol from 147 to 119 over several months by eating an avocado a week and taking two lecithin capsules a day. I found the avocado recommendation on your website.

A: Avocados used to be considered forbidden fruit because of their high fat content. Research now suggests that the monounsaturated fats in avocados help lower serum lipids, including LDL cholesterol.

Q: I quit Zoloft after nine years and suffered horrendous withdrawal symptoms: nausea, brain zaps, vertigo, headaches, digestive problems and numbness and tingling in my hands, feet and face. I'm writing to let others know that withdrawal does get better, even on days when you think you cannot possibly survive one more hour of feeling so sick. If I had known at the start what it would take to wean off this antidepressant, I would never have taken it. The symptoms were horrible for a full two weeks. The third week, I felt a bit better each day, and after that I improved quickly. I still have an occasional brain zap or wave of vertigo, but for the most part I'm back to normal. My sex drive, energy levels and mood all have improved tremendously.

A: Many antidepressants, such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft) and venlafaxine (Effexor), can trigger unpleasant symptoms if discontinued abruptly. Patients should be warned about this complication.

Q: My wife was told by a plastic surgeon to try sugar in a wound that would not heal. Within a week, the sore had begun to heal. Her primary doctor thinks that she is crazy, but it really worked. She did not need surgery to close the sore.

A: Dr. Richard Knutson, an orthopedic surgeon, has treated about 7,000 wounds over 35 years with sugar. They ranged from pressure ulcers and burns to shotgun wounds. He recommends combining 3 parts powdered sugar and 1 part cooking oil until the mixture is uniformly smooth. A thick layer (¼ to ½ inch) is then applied to a wound that is clean and not bleeding. The dressing is changed daily.